Children's Home run by New Forest Care Limited in Hampshire

Unique reference number SC363268 Inspector Nicola Lownds Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered manager Laura Emily Cave Date of last inspection 08/07/2014 2 of 5 Inspection date 25/03/2015

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Previous inspection outstanding Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged outstanding at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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This inspection

The home was last inspected in July 2014 when it was judged as outstanding overall and outstanding in all areas. There were no requirements or recommendations made at the previous inspection.

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This inspection

The home has had a stable period with both young people having lived in the home for steady period of time. This is reflected in the presentation of the home, bedrooms are well lived in, personalised and reflect their individual characters. Toys and games are visible around the home and photographs of young people and staff out on activities are displayed throughout the cottage. The environment is providing young people with a genuinely homely feel which is positive for the young people’s identify and sense of well-being.

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This inspection

Attendance in education is excellent. Staff have supported young people with the transition of moving up to secondary school in a planned manner which met the needs of young people. This shows young people are nurtured with significant milestones in their life proving to be successful. School uniforms are worn with pride and give them a sense of inclusion and belonging in education. The home has implemented a fun learning centre programme which young people participate in for 15 minutes per day. Young people benefit from the home ethos to learning as achievements are commended such as improvements in literacy and numeracy levels.

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This inspection

Young people lead healthy lifestyles and say they participate in activities such as ‘swimming, football, helping at the farm, scouts’. Access to health services is consistent as staff know young people well and can identify when the seek health advice. During the visit one young person said they were going to the dentist and staff gave encouragement and reassurance about the trip. On a separate occasion another young person received emergency medical treatment following an accident. 3 of 5 This accident however was not notified to Ofsted despite the young person requiring support from a first response unit and some treatment at a local hospital. This means there is a lack of transparency with the regulator that holds a safeguarding responsibility to the young person.

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This inspection

Young people are included in decisions that are being made about their lives. This means they are actively supported by the home to shape their care plans and take some ownership of their future. The home is exceptional at working with families and professionals when planning transitions. Transition plans are comprehensive and have been communicated to all staff. This strength means young people are cared for by staff who know them and their care plans well.

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This inspection

Records of incidents and physical restraints are clear and provide a detailed description of the event. Staff practice is reflective of the behaviour management plans for young people which means when young people’s behaviour becomes challenging they receive a consistent response in relation to de-escalation and physical intervention. Sanctions imposed by staff in the home are fair, however young people are not routinely asked for their views on the sanction. This misses an opportunity for young people to reflect and learn from the consequence. In addition the rigor of monitoring by the Registered Manager is weakened if consultation with the young person has not taken place.

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This inspection

Staff are trained in safeguarding young people and there is a clear procedure in place to report concerns of a safeguarding nature. For one young person the Registered Manager with the Local Area Designated Officer and Social Worker have devised an internal procedure to manage allegations that are made during incidents of challenging behaviour. This has generated further rigor to monitoring safeguarding through charts and graphs which is communicated to professionals. This practice provides a bespoke plan for young people, which keeps them, and staff who are working in the home, safe.

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This inspection

Safer recruitment processes are in place which ensure young people are provided with good quality staff. Pre-employment checks are routinely completed and all new staff undergo a full weeks induction training prior to them meeting young people in the home. This gives young people confidence that staff working with them will be skilled.

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This inspection

Supervision of staff is a strength of the home. The Registered Manager has good organisation skills to ensure supervision is effective and provided regularly. Staff are therefore developed and have opportunities to reflect on their practice. 4 of 5

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns and operates this children's home. The setting accommodates up to three young people who have complex emotional, behavioural and educational difficulties. Young people normally attend the company's specialist education unit and organisation's therapeutic services.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/07/2014 Full outstanding 20/01/2014 Interim good progress 08/08/2013 Full outstanding 15/11/2012 Interim good progress

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure children are routinely given the opportunity to make comment on any sanctions imposed by the home (NMS 3.18)  ensure significant events listed in schedule five are notified to Ofsted in a timely manner, specifically when a young person has accessed emergency hospital treatment. (NMS 24.1) Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Recommendations

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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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Information about this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the framework of inspection for children's homes.

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